MILWAUKEE (WLCSports.com) - Senior
Janiyah Goner (Milwaukee, Wis.) scored a career-high 20 points to lead Wisconsin Lutheran College to a 57-47 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference victory over Aurora on Saturday at Time of Grace Center.
The Warriors (10-7, 7-1 NACC), who held an opponent under 50 points for the third time this season, extended their season-long winning streak to five games.
WLC jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead behind a pair of buckets from Goner. The Spartans responded with a 6-0 run of their own before a three-point play from Goner gave WLC a 7-6 advantage with six minutes left in the first quarter. AU went on a 7-0 scoring run to take a 13-9 lead with 2:44 left, but freshman
Abby Cole (Fond du Lac, Wis.) scored the final five points to give Wisconsin Lutheran a 14-13 edge after one quarter of play.
Aurora began the second quarter with a 6-2 scoring spurt, giving them a 19-16 lead with five minutes left in the opening half. The Warriors closed out the quarter with a 12-3 run, with seven points coming from Cole, for a 28-22 halftime lead.
WLC netted the first seven points of the second half, giving them a game-high 13-point lead of 35-22 with 7:29 remaining. The Spartans answered with a 10-2 run to cut their deficit back to single digits, 37-32 with 5:13 on the clock. Wisconsin Lutheran scored the next six points to push its lead back to double digits, before AU finished the quarter on a 10-4 run and the Warriors led 47-42 after three quarters.
A pair of threes from Goner to open the fourth quarter helped the Warriors extend their lead back to double figures, as they led 53-43 with nine minutes to play. WLC held a 55-45 advantage with 3:12 left, as both teams struggled to find offense. Aurora was able to cut its deficit to eight, but a layup from senior
Lexy Smit (Brandon, Wis.) with under a minute left sealed the fifth straight win for Wisconsin Lutheran.
Goner paced the Warriors with a career-high 20 points to go along with five rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Cole finished with 14 points and seven rebounds, while sophomore
Margie Stevens (Oneida, Wis.) added 12 points, 5 rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Junior
Jayden Hill (Kenosha, Wis.) tied a career-high with 12 rebounds. WLC shot 33.3 percent (20-for-60) from the field and 85.7 percent (12-for-14) from the charity stripe.
Riley Doggett tallied 12 points and eight rebounds for the Spartans (11-5, 5-3 NACC), who shot 31.3 percent (15-for-48) from the field.
Wisconsin Lutheran returns to Time of Grace Center on Wednesday for a NACC matchup against Lakeland (9-8, 6-2 NACC). Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. Live coverage links can be found at WLCSports.com.
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